Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd. (TPEM), a subsidiary of Tata Motors, has joined hands with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) to establish 7,000 public charging stations across the country by next year. The collaboration will leverage BPCL’s widespread fuel stations network and TPEM’s insights from over 1.15 lakh Tata EVs on Indian roads. They will together set up EV chargers at locations that are frequently visited by Tata EV owners and gather insights to improve customer experience.
Both the companies also plan to explore the possibility of introducing a convenient payment system through a co-branded RFID card, making payment easier for Tata EV users and to encourage more people to adopt electric vehicles in the country. With its nationwide network of more than 21,000 fuel stations, BPCL is committed to a sustainable future by amalgamating strategy, investments, and environmental goals.
BPCL has already installed over 90 electric vehicle fast charging highway corridors across the nation, ensuring a fast-charging station approximately every 100 kilometers on both sides of major highways. These corridors span more than 30,000 kilometers across various highways, assuring enhanced EV convenience and accessibility. “BPCL is constantly striving to align with the nation’s vision to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040. (We) are steadily moving closer to goal to converting 7,000 of our conventional retail outlets into energy stations which is a part of a comprehensive decarbonization strategy to support and prioritize sustainable initiatives,” said Santosh Kumar, Executive Director In charge Retail, BPCL.
TPEM is currently the market leader in the EV segment in India with a market share of over 71% in electric passenger vehicles. As per data provided by TPEM, there are more than 115,000 Tata EVs on Indian roads, where 75% are used as primary vehicles. “EV adoption is a key imperative to combat the deteriorating air quality in Indian cities. Wide-spread and reliable charging infrastructure will be a key catalyst for accelerating EV adoption in India,” said Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd., and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd.